2010 AMC 12B Problem 22
Problem 22 of 25HarderGeometryProblem-Solving Techniques
Let be a cyclic quadrilateral. The side lengths of are distinct integers less than such that What is the largest possible value of
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Solution
Let and Writing each triangle’s area in terms of the circumradius and using gives
Ptolemy’s theorem gives Eliminating
The sides are distinct integers below with so neither nor can appear (each is prime and would need a matching factor on the other side).
If the largest side is at most the four squares sum to at most because is unavailable.
Now suppose the largest side is and write the others as The product condition must pair with so Hence one of equals If the sum of squares is less than If then so the largest possibility is Thus so Equality is attained by the cyclic quadrilateral with side order for which
Thus, the correct answer is D.
Tagged: cyclic quadrilateral · Ptolemy’s Theorem · optimization